Lost dog comes home after nine months

A rescued dog was back home Friday with the help of Craigslist, an observant Humane Society worker and the dog's persistent owners.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -

A rescued dog was back home Friday with the help of Craigslist, an observant Humane Society worker and the dog's persistent owners.

Owner Ariel Jensen said the last nine months weren't easy.

'We were devastated that he was gone, so sad, not knowing if he was in the wilderness somewhere and it was raining so much," said Ariel.

Her family's Pomeranian BonZ ran away during a thunderstorm last April. BonZ spent his first five years in a puppy mill and has been scared of loud noises since. During the storm he squeezed under a hole in their back yard fence.

Jensen took to the Internet and the streets in her search for BonZ. She posted ads on Craigslist and shared his photo on Lost Dog websites. She posted flyers around the neighborhood. Her family even used a website that made automated phone calls to homes within 15 miles of their neighborhood alerting people about BonZ.

"It was so frustrating. My mom and I would just take turns, one day she would be crying about it, the next day I would cry about it," said Jensen.

Jensen said the National Dog Mill Rescue played an integral role in BonZ's return by providing money and resources for the search effort.

Jensen and her family finally got the news they waited nearly nine months to hear on Monday. Someone turned the stray in at the Pikes Peak Humane Society.

A worker at the Humane Society recognized BonZ from Jensen's Craigslist posting, called the owners and BonZ came home that day.

Tamara Egley is the lost and found coordinator for the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region. She and her team united almost 4,000 pets with their owners in 2012.

"It reinforces why we are here," said Egley of Jensen's tearful reunion with BonZ.

She said that number could be even higher but people don't take the necessary steps when their pets are lost.

"It's so important for people to come in here immediately, start looking for their pet, and put in those lost reports," said Egley.

Jensen and her mom followed those steps but the problem was, there were unconfirmed reports that someone was hanging on to BonZ.

Jensen said she was resentful for a long time. Now, she is glad to have BonZ home.

"I just never thought I could like a dog so much," said Jensen.

She drove home from college in Wyoming for the weekend to spend time with her dog. She said it wouldn't be leaving her side, except for a much needed hair cut.

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